WASHINGTON, D.C. – Third District Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC) today introduced H.R. 4655, the Leadership PAC Disclosure Act, a bill that would require a leadership political action committee (PAC) to disclose to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) which member of Congress controls it. A leadership PAC is a political fundraising committee set up by a member of Congress. Money a member raises through a leadership PAC is usually given to other congressional candidates to gain their support when the member seeks a leadership position in Congress. The money may also be used to subsidize a member’s travel when campaigning for other candidates, or may be contributed to party committees or candidates for state and local offices.

The legislation would also require the FEC to post this information on the Internet in a format that will allow the public to easily determine who has contributed to a member’s primary campaign committee and to any leadership PAC that member controls.

“Much of the public’s growing anxiety over ‘business as usual in Washington’ stems from a lack of transparency in Congressional proceedings and fundraising. This is particularly true with regards to leadership PACs,” Congressman Jones said today. “The American people have a right to know exactly who is contributing to a member of Congress and how much is being given, regardless of whether that money goes to the member’s primary campaign committee or to their leadership PAC.”

Currently, the public cannot easily obtain information on leadership PAC fundraising from the FEC because the federal government does not require leadership PACs to disclose their associations with members of Congress. As a result, if a person goes to the FEC website and searches to see who has given to a particular member, the only thing they’ll find are contributions to a member’s primary campaign committee, not their leadership PAC. This leaves the public with an incomplete picture of a member’s ties to outside interests.

“Recent events on Capitol Hill have reinforced the need for transparency in the legislative operation of Congress and fundraising,” Jones said. “A democracy will only survive if the public trust is enhanced by those who serve it. This commonsense legislation will serve as an important step toward restoring the public’s trust in our legislative system.”

For additional information or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter B. Jones please contact Kathleen Joyce at (202) 225-3415.